Big hits come in small packages. Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac
The iPhone SE may be Apple’s smallest iPhone, but it’s apparently a big hit — possibly even more so than Apple expected!
After Tim Cook spoke enthusiastically about the iPhone SE during Apple’s most recent earnings call, the company has reportedly upped its orders for the diminutive handset for next quarter.
Has the rumor-mill been lying to us? Surely not! Photo: Eric Huismann
One of the most widely-circulated rumors about the upcoming iPhone 7 is that it will ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of Lightning or wireless headphones.
But don’t be so certain that this is the case: a newly-published photo, reporting to be a shot of the next-gen iPhone internals, appears to show the headphone jack still hanging on despite rumors of its demise.
Everything at Apple is great. Promise... Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Future iPhones are going to be so amazing, you probably haven’t even thought of the features Apple is going to add, Tim Cook claimed in a recent interview.
The Apple CEO appeared Monday on Mad Money in an effort to abate the company’s bleeding stock price following last week’s less-than-stellar earnings call. Cook reassured investors that the rumors of Apple’s demise have been greatly exaggerated once again.
While lackluster iPhone sales last quarter have scared off mega-investors and analysts alike, Cook promised some incredible innovation is in the pipeline. In addition to touting upcoming iPhone features, Cook’s wide-ranging conversation with Mad Money host Jim Cramer touched on everything from the Apple Watch being (inaccurately) dubbed a flop to Apple’s growing interest in India and much more.
These lovely, leather folios are delightfully classy. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
SurfacePad for iPhone and iPad solves a problem I have with most folio-style cases.
These tend to cover up too much of the gorgeous Apple design without giving much in return. There’s always a trade-off between form and function. If you’re going to hide the gleaming Apple devices behind a case, at least make it look as classy and useful as Apple does.
The SurfacePad for folio cases from Twelve South are delightfully minimal, covering the front and rear of your iPad or iPhone in luxurious leather without sacrificing a refined look.
Alex's Apple Orchard occupied the basement of the family home. Photo courtesy of Alex Jason
A 10-year-old kid in Maine finds an iMac G5 on Craigslist and arranges to trade a minibike and a snowblower for it.
The computer was supposed to be for games and homework. It instead proved to be the first piece in what is becoming one of the most significant private collections of Apple devices in the United States.
Learn one of the most valuable skills in the modern jobs marketplace with this comprehensive project management lesson bundle. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The tech market is all about iteration — build it, replace it, fail faster. Companies of all sizes launch and land constant streams of projects, like the sped up lights of airliners coming into LAX, each one needing someone skilled in seeing it through. That skill is called project management, and it’s one of the most in-demand capabilities anyone can bring to a gig. It’s a skill that you can learn, and this PMP Project Management Prep Bundle is a great place to start, offering comprehensive instruction and a leading project management certification. Right now you can get it for $65 at Cult of Mac Deals.
What are this week's hottest apps? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Looking to get up to speed on the week’s hottest apps? We’ve got your back!
Since my colleague Evan Killham has already covered the latest hot iOS games, I’m focusing on non-gaming apps this week: whether that’s an all-new custom keyboard, relaunched Q&A platform, or an update to an existing live-streaming favorite. Check out our picks below.
Get 200% charge with the thinnest battery case ever made Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Spring is here (finally) and that means we’re clearing out our Cult of Mac Store. Below you’ll find some of our favorite gear and other goodies going for at least half off of their normal price, from an ultra thin battery case to a private VPN service to a massive bundle of top notch apps that you can name your price for.
Why is Apple so optimistic? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple’s executive team is optimistic about the company’s future, despite a bleak earnings call. And why wouldn’t they be? Apple’s slump brought in more money than most other tech companies out there.
Read all about the positive spin in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, along with a trick to making your iOS folders look round with no jailbreak required, a frank appraisal of the Apple Watch one year in, 8 killer Instagram tips, the world’s biggest Apple Museum and much, much more.
We have a little bit of everything this time. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
April has arrived, which means that the cold and snowy weather is ostensibly behind us. In my case, I’ve traded it in for cold and rainy weather. But it’s still an improvement, so I’ll take it.
And if you’re looking for a way to celebrate the slightly improved temperatures, what better way than taking some cool, new iOS games for a spin outside? Just go to a park, sit in the sun, and jam your nose into your iPhone or iPad and ignore all of the beauty and wonder that surrounds you. Because we live in the future now, and that’s what we do.
Plus, these games are really good. Check them out.
Easily capture your screen, burn digital media and enjoy new features like audio Enhancement Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Another week, another round of super useful apps priced to move. And this is a diverse bunch: HDR photography, finance management, streaming video capture and more. We wouldn’t share them with you if they weren’t useful, and they’re all available for at least half off:
Yep. That is definitely Windows 95 on Apple Watch. Photo: Nick Lee
We’ve seen a lot of people do a lot of things with Apple’s debut wearable, but one hacker wasn’t satisfied merely to summon the ghosts of ancient first-party mobile and desktop operating systems. No, hacker Nick Lee set himself the goal of putting the venerable Windows 95 on Apple Watch.
Lee set out on the project out of nostalgia for the computer he grew up with in the ’90s (oh, kids), and he succeeded by patching some files in the native WatchKit development framework to sneak in his own app. In this case, that app was the 20-year-old disk image. And it works, provided you have a bit of time to wait for the new system to boot up.
Seriously, it takes a while. See it in action in the video below.
Right now, that’s just a small blemish on an otherwise darn near perfect record. But the concern is that it could signal the start of a much greater decline, ushering in an era in which Cupertino is no longer the overwhelmingly dominant force in all things shiny and aluminum.
Should Tim Cook and Co. really be worried about declining demand, and should fans be worried about Apple’s future? Or will our favorite gadget maker be back with a bang?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we throw hands (not literally) over these topics and more!
Don't even ask what this iPad looked like before. Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac
Best List: Whoosh Screen Shine Duo+
I don’t try to get my screens all fingerprinted and gross — they just get that way all on their own. It’s inevitable, really; we touch most of the screens we use throughout the day, and our hands are way dirtier than we think. I own more microfiber cloths than I do Lightning cables, but apparently my hands are grubbier than a normal human’s, so I need some more help. And apparently, that extra step is Whoosh Screen Shine.
It’s a screen-cleaning system that adds a bit of spray into the mix and claims it can repel fingerprints. I tried out the Duo+ version, which includes both desk- and travel-sized bottles, and it’s made my endless smudge hunt much more bearable.
Google Trips on Android. Photo: AndroidWorldGoogle Trips on Android. Screenshots: AndroidWorld
Google is working on a new app called Trips that will help users plan their next vacation by automatically pulling information from their emails. The app will also help travelers find things to do while they’re away, and offer reviews from locals.
For something as personal and prominent in everyday life as our smartwatch, tossing it onto a tabletop or shoving it in a drawer to charge seems a bit…crude. Nomad has a couple alternatives, two ways to give your Apple Watch a place of privilege that’s fitting in style and function.
One of the world's most impressive collection of Apple artifacts belongs to a 15-year-old kid. Photo: Alex's Apple Orchard
This week on The CultCast: Apple’s 13-year record revenue streak is broken; our best picture yet of iPhone 7’s features; rumors point to a faster, untethered Apple Watch 2; Apple has a huge increase in R&D spending, but where’s the money going? And stick around for more stories from the Cult of Mac. This time, a 15-year-old builds one of the world’s most impressive Apple collections.
Our thanks for Freshbooks for supporting this episode. FreshBooks is the easy-to-use invoicing software designed to help small business owners get organized, save time invoicing and get paid faster. Get started now with a 30-day free trial.
All you need are your photos, an iPad, and these apps. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
When you’re looking to create special, one-of-a-kind photo on your iPad, you might be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices out there. We’ve taken some time to find the best apps for photo editing on the iPad and create some step-by-step how-tos to ensure you get the best results.
Whether you’re just looking to out-game your Instagram buddies or create a stunning double exposure photo on your iPad, here are the 7 best ways to make your photos pop.
Figure is "well under" the $1.3 million number widely quoted. Photo: Apple
The feds may not have paid quite as much money as we previously thought to unlock the iPhone at the center of the San Bernardino shooting case — with a new report claiming that it was less than the $1.3 million+ sum widely reported in the media last week.
At least he has that knife. Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac
Apple doesn’t spend the least of any huge company on security for head Tim Cook, but it’s way less than we expected.
Considering the iPhone maker is the biggest company, well, ever, we thought that its board might be especially interested in shelling out some major coin to keep Cook safe. But we looked at several different corporations, and Apple’s spending on CEO security is on the lower end.
Like the way lower end. As in, you would not believe how much Facebook pays to keep founder and head Mark Zuckerberg alive.
If you're still not using Photos, you're missing out. Photo: GoogleIf you’re still not using Photos, you’re missing out. Photo: Google
Google is rolling out a major Photos update that adds a greater search experience, and the ability to customize movies that were created automatically. The release also makes it possible to rename, create, and delete folders on microSD cards.
It's even made of aluminum. Photo: HPIt’s even made of aluminum. Photo: HP
HP has another answer to the super sleek Apple MacBook, and despite similar specifications, it costs less than half the price.
The new all-aluminum Chromebook 13 boasts an Intel Core M processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and a battery that lasts up to 11.5 hours in between charges — and it starts at just $599!
Still better than a "smart" refrigerator. Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac
Nowadays it seems like we’re ready to replace just about every standalone device with a smartphone app or add a Wi-Fi connection to it, when the reality is that plenty of these devices work perfectly fine already. (I’m looking at you, Wi-Fi-enabled refrigerators.) So it was refreshing to be able to review a product that’s confident in what it is and what it isn’t: the Boogie Board Jot 8.5 eWriter.
The Jot 8.5 is an ultra-thin display that lets you write or draw whatever you want on it, then instantly erase all the contents at the push of a button. Think of it as a practical Etch-A-Sketch that doesn’t suck.
The All About Apple Museum in Savona, Italy. Photo: All About Apple Museum
For years, Apple has been under pressure to open an Apple museum. The company’s rich and storied past has its fans clamoring for a central repository of that history.
Word from the company: No. Apple’s leaders say they are more interested in the future than the past.
In fact, the most complete historical collection of all things Apple is nowhere near Cupertino. The serious Apple fan must travel to, of all places, Savona, Italy.